Bulletin Offprints (I) Printed with No. 1, 2013

‘It is alsoan important occasion in the lives of the young people who today receive their degrees, with the added distinction of being the first to do so. ‘I am sure I speak for all here when I say we share their pleasure and expect great things from them in the future. This is their great day, and it is to them I would chiefly like to speak. ‘First, I would like to remind our graduands that a degree is by no means a licence to stop learning. It is an indication that the holder has reached a certain level of academic attainment, and is valuable as such but it should not be mistaken for more than that. ‘Here I stress the words " academ ic attainment" . You have been given a certain, most useful level of background knowledge, and I hope also that in the course of gaining your degrees you have learned how to learn, and how to think logically and dispassionately. ‘Of all the gifts that the University can give you, this is the most valuable ─ and is, on the whole, of more importance to you than the mere body of knowledge you have gained. Future Potentials 'When you leave here, therefore, to go out into the world, your colleagues and your employers are entitled to expect you to be well-grounded in a general knowledge of your subject, and to be alert to learn. It is your future potentials that will be valued, not your existing abilities in your chosen careers—for these will at first still be rather slight. ‘You will have to discover how to apply your academic knowledge to practical situations before you can claim to have mastered your new jobs, and this takes time and experience. ‘So, as I have said, you must not make the mistake of thinking you can stop learning now that you have got your degrees; for if you are to realize the dormant powers that should now lie within you, you will have to continue to study both to keep up with modern developments in your field and to ensure that your knowledge is applied to the best advantage. 'Next, I hope you will all remember that although you have now graduated, you are still members of this Uni- versity; for a university is the whole body of those associated with it, whether as teachers, students, adminis- trators or graduates. Its future fame lies to a large extent in your hands. ‘If in the course of your careers you prove your com- petence, and demonstrate your ability to be leaders in your chosen spheres, your associates will give much of the credit to your University, whose reputation will thereby be enhanced with the result that the world will place increasing confidence in its graduates. Public Confidence ‘This public confidence is important to the growth and development of any university; and you owe it to your University to see that you enhance its reputation and do nothing to impair it. 'Finally it remains for me tocongratualte the University, its constituent Colleges and their staffs on the graduation of these young people, the University’s first products. Then, of course, I would also like to congratulate the graduands themselves very sincerely on successfully achieving their degrees. 'You have all, I know, had to work very hard to gain these distinctions, which are the culmination of many years of prolonged study. You can be proud of what you have accomplished, and I hope the knowledge that you are capable of reaching this level of attainment will give you confidence for the future. 'I wish you all every success in the life which now opens up before you.’ AT THE GRADUATION DINNER Volume O ne • October 1964 • N um ber Four Graduation in Chinese is 'pi-yeh', literally the 'end of a course or study' but it is by no means the end of any- thing but the beginning of a life-long quest for knowledge and experience, Dr. Choh-ming Li told the 1964 graduates and diplomates at the Graduation Dinner on the evening of October 16. The Vice-Chancellor was speaking of his own experience when he received his Ph.D. degree from the university. He said the feeling of being unlearned became stronger as one progressed in his pursuit of knowledge. 'The more you learn the more you feel unlearned.' He praised the fine work of the faculties of the three Foundation Colleges. ‘The University conferred upon you a degree or diploma today but the claim of accom- plishment belongs to the three Foundation Colleges and their staff,’ said the Vice-Chancellor in his short pre- dinner speech to more than 300 guests and students. He asked the guests and the faculties to join him for a toast to the future success of the graduates and diplomates. In responses in Chinese and English by Miss Lau Woon Ying and Miss Yu Yuen Wai respectively, the graduates expressed their gratitude to the Colleges and the University. Miss Yu asked the University to cultivate the local characters of the University along with its international emphasis. She also expressed the hope of the organization of a University Student Union and the immediate establishment of a University Alumni Asso- ciation. The First Graduation Dinner ended at 10.35 p.m. 11